Turning Points
by foxfacegin
Summary: In an AU, Ichigo never became a shinigami. The girl he rescued in the first episode was Nel Tu. And Rukia's had her sights on Ichigo since his mother's death. What would the story look like then? IchiRuki in the later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"C'mon you slackers, focus! You can't do it here, how can you face a hollow who wants nothing more than to eat you!?" snarled Rukia. Though shorter than most shinigami and cute as a button, her talent with kidou and her perfectionist personality makes her an intimidating instructor. All around her, destructive arts and binding arts are being practiced. In another part of the training hall, swordsmanship is being honed. Kuchiki Rukia strolled through the training grounds as if she owned the place. While not someone to be trifled with behind a sword, Rukia's strength is in her proficiency with kido, both binding and destroying.

"You, pale kid with the messy hair, show me Crawling Rope!"

"U-uh, c-crawling- um, that's Bakudo 4?"

"You tell me! How long have you been here, mister!?"

"Going to three months now, ma'am!"

"And you're telling me you can't tie a rope around the limbs of an opponent!? You guys are going to be the death of me! You, girl with the pink hair, draw your zanpakuto. Mr. I-Slept-the-Past-Three-Months is in for an awakening here."

"Ma'am!" Pink Hair was a constant victim of Slept-For-Months's criticism and jokes for not being as strong as he is in swordsmanship and hand to hand. Other than doubling the required quota of push-ups, crunches and laps, for Pink Hair. As a bonus for being able to improve by the time of the demonstration, Rukia showed Pink Hair shunpo.

"Everyone, gather around!" Rukia announced. "What we have here is a pop quiz. You, I-Napped-Three-Months and you, Pink-Hair, face each other. Courtesy. Good. Remember, basic strength and ability and kidou allowed. Go at it!"

Napped-For-Three-Months charged. He was not in a good mood. Not only was he slacking off and using his strength to intimidate others, Rukia called him out on it. He thought to himself, after he puts Pink-Hair in her place as a weaker, inferior woman, he'll go after Rukia. Her and her stupid spells.

Napped-For-Three-Months did not stand a chance. Pink Hair blocked the punch and quickly got inside his defense, attacking him with a volley of punches. What no one but Rukia observed is as the fight was going on, she was chanting for Binding Spell 9.

The glisten of oil. Arcs of the candelabra. The six thousand steps behind the coils briar. Frighten the giant with the falling star. Capture it's breath with what must be taken- Binding Spell 9: Strike! As the spell took hold on Napped-For-Three-Months, Pink Hair shunpo'ed and when she appeared again, she roundhoused him, striking the back of his head. He was out cold before he hit the ground in humiliating defeat.

"I did it, Rukia! I DID IT!..."

-------------------

Later that night, back in her quarters...

"Oy, Rukia!" said Abarai Renji out of nowhere. They were watching "TV" an invention in the world of the living. During one of Rukia's few missions to the world of the living, she caught a glimpse of these light boxes with moving pictures and found them fascinating. What sealed the deal was what she saw as she encountered such a strange device: an Animal Planet special on rabbits and hares in the American Northeast. She practically boosted the television set herself but Renji stopped her, saying that theft is also a crime in the world of the living.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you so hard on your pupils? Most everyone else just train them and go home. You go the extra mile, Rukia." Renji, a normally cocky guy, suddenly became observant and introspective. This would strike just about anyone else as strange but Rukia grew up with this guy. And in the 78th District, one of the poorest in all of Rukongai, no one survives with just one face.

"It's about giving a chance, Renji. The shinigami academy took us out of that miserable district and gave us the opportunity to develop our potential. We don't all see it the same way though. That slacker here certainly doesn't seem to care about anything. But who knows, maybe being humiliated was a wake up call for him to actually try harder. I was able to help Bubblegum Hair. She couldn't use spiritual pressure to get out of a wet paperbag when I first taught her." explained Rukia.

"Still the same old Rukia. You're accepted by the Kuchiki clan but you're never too good to talk with us common folk."

Before Rukia could respond, both Renji and Rukia paid attention to the television in her living room quarters. "In today's tragic news, Kurosaki's owner loses his wife in a car accident. The camera goes on to show a beautiful young mother lying broken by the side of a road while her three children were crying their eys out. Authorities could not find the perpetrator of this hit and run..."

Rukia saw enough. She knows, almost from the beginning of the news story that this was no ordinary automobile accident but the aftermath of a rampaging hollow. The spiritual residue is screaming for anyone with an ounce of spiritual ability.

Though for just a moment she saw the immense pain of the children, in particular the oldest boy with bright orange hair. Call it a woman's intuition, call it living far longer than any human possible, whatever you pin it on, I leave it up to you, Rukia knows that the little boy with the orange hair changed forever with the death of his mother. His already strong reiatsu will only leak more and affect those around him now that his mother died and there's no strength or priority to control his spiritual ability. If she could pick up so much even through the detachment of a TV screen, how much more will the hollows and evil spirits detect him?

Somewhere in the time it took the news to reach their audience and the commercial break after such a traumatic story occurring in a local town normally full of light and happiness, Rukia changed forever also. She decided to resign as kidou's top drill sergeant and take up a sentry post on Earth, in particular the zone of Karakura Town. She got up quietly and did not even hear Renji asking her what she's doing or where she's going. She wants to be the spiritual guardian of that orange haired boy. The fate of all existence depends on how he turns out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Guarding Guardian Angels

Ichigo almost had a good day. Almost. His dad had to put in extra hour at the clinic. Halloween is coming up and that means stupidity levels will go up. And if its one thing you can count on stupid people to do, other than being stupid, its getting hurt. So no sneak attacks after every entranceway at home. Thank God for small favors.

School was working for him too. He spent most of yesterday afternoon practicing soccer with Karin for the upcoming game against the local team. Their goalie is nicknamed Stonewall for being impossible to pass through. Karin was eating, sleeping and dreaming soccer because of this tough opponent. While that is acceptable to her, Karin's constant practicing at her room and in the hallway means broken lights and tracked dirt at home, not to mention the noise racket that gets in the way of his studying. In light of such circumstances, Ichigo sacrificing his afternoon to soccer instead of studying was a worthy one. So he ended up goalie'ing for Karin and deliberately blocked most of the shots with his shins as a challenge to himself. By the end of the evening his legs were shot, but when he recovers, he would be more than ready for anyone who make a habit of kicking his shins.

I digress. Ichigo ended up taking a nap and waking up sometime after 9. He had a test to study for and an essay to write. Between the studying and the insomnia, he had three hours of sleep before going to school. As he slept, he dreamed of a young girl with dark hair and just as dark eyes. She made sure all his books are in place and that he wakes up on time. And indeed he did, and all his schoolwork is packed. Had Ichigo remembered the dream, he would have felt deep gratitude that someone out there cared about him and he would have felt relief that he doesn't have to carry the world on his shoulders.

He ended up doing really well on the test. Two of his teachers were absent so he napped for the first class, did his essay on the changing of economic systems due to the onset of the Industrial Revoltion. Finally, there was lunch where he crammed the phases of mitosis before coming up with the mnemonic device of PPMAT(pee-pee mat).

That brings up about the present situation.

"Stoppit! Help!" yelled a little child.

"Heh, like anyone will help you here! THese pieces are mine, little girl!" taunted an older voice. As this argument was happening, sounds of skateboards on asphalt and on a ramp could be heard.

"No! Give!"

"No! Give!? Catch me little girl, and maybe I'll give!" Then the skateboard punk sped away. His five other friends skated around, laughing and taunting the little girl. The girl was no older than four. She wore an oversized green hoodie that covered her whole body leaving two protruding little feet exposed. Though still an adorable little kid, she wore a cartoony looking skull mask on her head, something Ichigo's never seen before. The little girl looked frustrated and scared at the punk skating around with white fragments, fragments that probably belong to portions of the mask. As her attention was directed elsewhere, another skater came up behind her and gave the little girl in the green hoodie a shove that could knock over a 13 year old, much less kid younger than four. The little girl went flying, right in front of the skateboard ramp these punks set up.

Ichigo looked in horror at what was about to happen. A third kid with a malicious gleam on his face accelerated and tore up the ramp in frightening speed. Whether his intent was to scare or to actually do serious damage to this little girl, things have gotten too far. The little girl prepared for the worst.

WHAM!

The little girl still had her eyes closed, in a fetal position on the ground. This was taking too long she thought. I should have been a smear on the floor by now! She opened one eye, then another. I'm OKAY!, she thought joyfully. Who isn't okay was that flying-off-the-ramp skater. He had a huge footprint across his chest and he was twitching on the ground, his skateboard a couple of feet away, wheels still rolling harmlessly. On top of the twitching-skater was the foot of a tall kid with bright orange hair and a devious smirk with a little too much glee for violence.

"Ah, still got that roundhouse. I miss those days!" Ichigo said nonchalantly. Then, as if he remembered something, he looked at the girl on the ground and walked over. "Oy, little girl. Are you okay? What's your name?"

The little girl with green hair and matching green hoodie and cartoonie skull was shocked. Someone came to her rescue!? "N-Nell. You saved me?"

"Of course. You would have been a a mark on street if that guy landed on you.Nell, could you wait over there? These guys will need an ambulance and I don't want you to get in the way." With that Ichigo picked Nell up, put her on a bench and went back to the skateboard punks. As Ichigo walked away to face the bullies terrorizing so close to home, Nel looked up at him in wonder and admiration.

It could have been the fact that his good day ended right there. It could have been this kind of behavior is intolerable so close to home. His sisters could be victims at anytime or worse, they become like the bullies themselves. Or it could be that in his childhood, he thought people victimized him and he was a crybaby. But today, Ichigo did not warn the skaters. No one should have to teach people that six skaters picking on a four year old is wrong. But a warning is warranted, and Ichigo has the perfect one.

"Alright, you fuckers." Ichigo picked up the skateboard of the guy he kicked out of midair. "I want you to snap your skateboards in half. Like so." He took the skateboard and slammed it on the fallen skater. The guy yelled in pain. "And for every time I have to tell you, like now-" SLAM! The guy yelled again, letting out a string of expletives. Ichigo didn't care. "I'll be hitting your big bad boss here. Get crackin or your boy here gets a crackin'. He raised the skateboard again. The guy on the street cowered in an even tighter fetal position with a whimper." Ichigo said with a smirk.

The skateboarding gang cooperated with their leader at Ichigo's mercy. "Alright, since you assholes cooperated, I'll let you off early after some community service. Strip."

"WHAT!?" they asked in unison.

-SLAM-"OW! You motherfkers, listen to the guy-" yelled the boss.

"SHADDUP!" Ichigo said with a stomp on the guy's head. "Did I stutter?. I want you guys down to your drawers NOW! Your clothes will go to good use on actual human beings. Oh, what am I doing, you sub-humans don't understand, here, maybe this will!" he raised the skateboard again.

"Alright, alright, here! Don't hit Yokochin anymore!"

Within minutes, there were six skaters, minus the skateboards and minus the clothes, the chains, and the shoes. They shivered and walked away in their boxers and wifebeaters. The leader had to limp away, quite bruised up.

"C'mon, Nel. I'll take you home. Where do you live?" Ichigo said over a mountain of clothes he's carrying.

"Nel doesn't live anywhere! Nel runs around in Hueco Mundo!"

"Eh? Every kid loves somewhere. And what the heck is a Hueco Mundo?" asked Ichigo, quite puzzled and annoyed that the child still has the energy to play pretend when all he wants to do is go home.

"You don't belweeve me!?" Nel said with a cracked voice. She started to cry.

"Alright, alright. I believe you!" Ichigo yelled, quite irritated now. "Where's Hueco Mundo?"

"Noo, Itsygo!" No one walks to Hueco Mundo from here! You need this! She holds up the pieces that she got back from the bully Yokochin.

"Oy, when did you get those back?" asked Ichigo. He remembered them being distinctly in Yokochin's hands.

"After you woundhous kicked him in the solar plexus in mid-air, he dropped Garganta." Nel said cheerfully. Wow, this girl is fast! thought Ichigo.

Ichigo decided to go home after all. His dad and Yuzu love cute things, even if they are strange children with cartoony skull masks. On top of that, it's nighttime and he's tired so he'll just retire early. "Oy, Nel."

"Yeah!?" replied Nel cheerfully.

"We'll just go to my home tonight. I'm tired and-"

"YAY! I GET TO LIVE IN ITSYGO'S HOUSE!" Nel cried happily.

"Oy, you're not living there, you're just staying there till I can figure out..." Ichigo sighed. "Never mind." Kids don't hear anything else when they're in that state. She jumped up and down happily then proceeded to run around in circles. Those circles grew wider and wider while she ran faster and faster. She did not see the sidewalk jutting up or the hydrant nearby. She tripped and her head collided into the hydrant but instead of the sick sound of a skull cracking, it was a dull, almost funny-sounding thud.

Ichigo dropped the clothes to rush over and see if Nel's okay. "Nel, you baka, what do you think you're doing running around!? My God, are you okay!?" Nel didn't move. "Nel! NEL!" Ichigo started to skake her but thought better of it and opt to turn her over. Instead of blood and a look of pain, Nel was smiling brightly. "Got you, Itsygo!"

"GAARGH!" Ichigo almost wished Nel was older and could take a hit to the head for scaring the daylights out of him.

"See this super-cool bwoken mask I have? It protects Nel's head!" she said proudly.

On a telephone pole above, stood a perfectly balanced female with raven hair and dark eyes. She an anachronism, someone not of this time, or even of this dimension but she looked human and other than the feudal age Japan clothing, she was not out of the ordinary, even a bit cute too. While Ichigo had a more-than-adventurous evening, she had a relaxing night. She's a shinigami, and her job is to send spirits to Soul Society, either but releasing them from earth, or if they were hollows, evil spirits with a bottomless appetite, they'll be purified first, a more painful process. Her name is Kuchiki Rukia. She's been guarding Ichigo's life since he was nine when his mother died. And being an undetected guardian of sorts, she is proud of him, both kicking the crap out of the gang leader and making an example out of them and taking care of the mysterious little girl arrancar Nel. Her reverie was broken when her phone went off, detecting an abnormally strong hollow and she was on her way again.

"Alright, Dad! Of course I won't make a sandwich out of Nel and eat her even though she's cute! Alright, yeah, I'll be back!" Ichigo slammed the door in irritation of his dad just as he started talking to Masaki about how Ichigo brings home lost little kids but never brings home the lucky girl that make the kid possible.

"So, Itsygo, do you think I'm cute?" asked Nel mischievously.

"Can it!" Ichigo yelled. All he wanted to freakin' do was come home, tell his dad what's going on, then bring the clothes to the family clinic in case the victims brought in need a change of clothing. This was not really necessary since there is already a supply of scrubs but with the sudden spike in skater clothes, it seemed like such a waste to simply toss. But instead, Ichigo had to put his dad down with his crazy attacks, which much as he hate to admit, helped him do really well against Yokochin or whatever that skateboard punk was called who was about to slam Nel to the ground at the end of a jump. That was followed by dinner, which was understandable. Ichigo would even tolerate an interrogation about where he found the kid, but instead his dad found Nel so adorable, he could not pass her up. She could leave on her own of course, but far as old man Isshin is concerned, there is a fourth child in the House of Kurosaki. It was all the jokes that Nel is Ichigo's kid that irritated him.

Later that night...

"But Itsygo, I'm scared if you're not around! What if those meanies snatch me away from your sisters' room!? They're not big and stwong like you! Then they will hit Nel again! And Nel does not like hits!"

Ichigo had a vein pulsing in the back of his head right now. No good deed goes unpunished. "Fine, you get the closet."

Isshin showed up out of nowhere. "The closet! Wow, my son is all grown up! He's mischievous too, hiding people in the closet. Now this is a good first step. But next time, try for a hot girl your age-"

WHACK! "Shut up you old pervert." Ichigo turned to Nel. "Now be quiet, I'm really tired."

"YAY! Nel will be quiet!" she said happily, followed by a giggle.

They washed up and Ichigo opened his closet to make it hospitable for his young guest. Just to find a badly beat up young girl around his age in black, feudal Japan clothes. Her clothes were slightly torn and cuts marred her arms, face and legs.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHmmmmmpphhh" Nel started to scream in fright when Ichigo put a hand over her mouth to not cause a commotion.

"Oy, who are you?" Ichigo asked, not sure how to proceed. The girl looked familiar...then it dawned on him. He's the girl that he dreams about now and again. The one who encourages him to make good decisions. The one who makes sure his books are packed, his alarm goes off and keeps his appointments. His guardian angel.

"Help...me..." was all Rukia manage to rasp before going unconcious.

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Author's Notes:

- I made Garganta a small portable object instead of an ability to travel to and from Hueco Mundo. It gives Nel a reason to get into the confrontation with the bullies and why she wants it back. It also serves a bigger purpose later. dramatic tune

- Took me a little bit to write and get the chapter together. After the first chapter, I was going to scrap the story, it did not seem like a good idea but I got positive reviews and fans clamoring for more. So this chapter is for you guys, who like to read my stuff.

- Also, check out my other Bleach fic, Ichimaru Origins. A new chapter is coming soon, also longer than previous chapters because I had fun writing! Hope you guys have fun reading!

- So, everyone, please review. It saves stories and I love hearing what people think.


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